New basin deal raises more questions than it answers

AUSTRALIAN Dairy Farmers (ADF) questions federal Environment Minister Tanya Plibersek’s move to include water buybacks in a new deal to execute the Murray Darling Basin plan.

1. Why are buybacks being prioritised when they hurt communities, workers, jobs, and food production?
2. Why is the Government not negotiating in good faith with the states and industry?
3. Why is the whole state of Victoria not included in the new agreement when it is a major party to the plan?
4. Why did Government call for project submissions to deliver more water only to then ignore them?
5. Why is the Government not embracing innovation and science to provide more positive environmental outcomes and preserve jobs and economies driven by productive agriculture?

ADF President Rick Gladigau says these unanswered questions create fear and uncertainty for Basin communities, erode a decade of bi-partisanship support and increase risks for food security and food prices.

For the record, ADF supports:

• the intent of the Murray Darling Basin Plan to improve environmental outcomes while maintaining food production
• the extension of time to deliver the Basin plan announced in the new agreement
• the use of the socio-economic test in assessing the impacts of water buybacks.

However, ADF is against:

• any watering down of or removal of the socio-economic test for water buybacks
• deals that ignore the impacts on communities, workers, business, and food production.

“Since the millennium drought 2100GL of water has been transferred from farming to the environment. Dairy farmers have done the heavy lifting. This has improved the environmental health of the Basin,” says Mr Gladigau.

“Dairy farmers are among Australia’s first environmentalists. Landcare is proof of their commitment. They have made significant investments to improve water use efficiency and to build drought resilience into their farming systems.

“At a time when food prices are rising and the Government itself is holding an inquiry into food security it is ironic that buybacks are being prioritised. Buybacks create insecurity and make food production unsustainable.”